Here’s a hint of Patrick’s master before Cohen: whoever he or she (or apacha helicopterself) were, their family hated Patrick enough to tell him to go away into the streets. Cohen literary found him hiding in the trash.

Think about that. A Being in this world is one of the most unique and valuable things you can have and truly have. It is the ideal servant, family member, friend, worker, etc. You could have sold it for enough money to never have to work again, retire to luxury and still give your kids enough to start their life with.

So they were either very stupid, very superstitious, or the Master had caused enough trouble that they just wanted everything about him to go away. Or he had nobody at all and Patrick thus had nobody to contract with.